The drawing “Amalassunta” by Osvaldo Licini presents an essential composition, constructed through light and suspended lines in which the figure emerges in an allusive rather than descriptive manner. In particular, the barely suggested anthropomorphic form is placed within a rarefied space, devoid of realistic references. Furthermore, the presence of numbers and small graphic signs reinforces the symbolic character of the work.
The Amalassunta series, developed by Licini from the 1940s onwards, represents a central moment in his artistic research. However, these figures should not be understood as narrative subjects, but rather as poetic entities suspended between myth, abstraction, and inner vision. As a result, the drawing takes on a meditative function, in which the void and the silence of space become integral parts of the composition.
Licini, a key figure in twentieth-century Italian art, moved independently through figuration, abstraction, and Surrealism. In particular, during the most advanced phase of his career, he developed a highly personal language based on line, imagination, and lyricism. Therefore, “Amalassunta” fully belongs to this dimension, offering a coherent and measured example of Osvaldo Licini graphic poetics, in which drawing becomes a tool of thought and vision.
Description: Pencil on paper, bearing on the reverse the artist’s signature and the stamps of the Zaccardi Collection, Bologna, H cm 24×33.
Notes: Work accompanied by a photograph for authenticity, bearing on the reverse the artist’s signature, title, technique, and dimensions, issued by Galleria La Loggia, Bologna.
Provenance: Private Zaccardi Collection, Bologna; Galleria La Loggia, Bologna.
Hammer Price: € 12.500,00
Auction 73 – June 25th 2024 – Modern and contemporary art
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